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Apple TV+ plans ‘The Line,’ a combination podcast/TV series

Apple TV+ has announced “The Line,” its first combination podcast-TV original — “a bid to exploit the tech giant’s podcast footprint to seed signups for its TV subscription service,” reports Variety.

From Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions, it comprises two non-fiction series: a six-part narrative non-fiction audio series that debuted Monday (April 6) on Apple Podcasts and a four-part limited documentary series premiering this fall on Apple TV Plus.

Here’s how Variety describes “The Line”: The pair of original series promises to reveal “previously untold aspects” about the story of former Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher, who in 2018 was charged with committing war crimes after he had posed for a photo with a corpse in Iraq. Members of his platoon had broken ranks and accused Gallagher of murder; he was ultimately being acquitted on all but one minor count and in the fall of 2019 was pardoned by President Trump.

Both series will examine “the complicated realities involved with fighting a decades-long war, stripping back the layers surrounding Gallagher’s alleged crimes,” according to Apple.

The podcast series is hosted and executive produced by Dan Taberski (“Running From ‘Cops,’” “Missing Richard Simmons,” “Surviving Y2K”). It features one-on-one interviews with Gallagher and his wife as well as with more than 50 current and former special operators and audio from Gallagher’s trial — revealing “the secretive culture of the military’s most elite special operations units, and the struggle for justice in the fog of war,” per the show’s producers.

“The Line” podcast is available on Apple Podcasts (at this link). The first two episodes of “The Line” are available now on Apple Podcasts and the following four episodes will premiere weekly each Tuesday through May 4.

In the fall of 2021, Apple TV Plus plans to debut a four-part docu-series, also called “The Line,” which will include “never-before-seen footage” and take a deep dive into the U.S.’s counterterrorism efforts in the Middle East.

Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch, Mac, select Samsung, LG, Sony, and VIZIO smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV and Roku devices, PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for US$4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. For a limited time, customers who purchase a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, or iPod touch can enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free. This special offer is good for three months after the first activation of the eligible device. For more information, visit apple.com/tvpr and offers.appletvapp.apple and see the full list of supported devices.

Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.